Here is another in a series of posts I have been doing where I briefly discuss the latest movie rentals I have seen from my Netflix queue.  Did the title already say that?  I will shut up then now.  Previously, there were several films I mentioned in this prior post, so I will pick up where that one left off.  Do you see the natural progression here?  The dvd rental, or blu-rays in some cases, in the post are in chronological order of video rentals or simply, the films I have seen – so here is the most recent batch of films for your perusal. Yes, there are likely spoilers all over these write-ups, so be warned if you haven’t seen the films.  As usual I will give you my Netflix star rating, based on their somewhat flawed IMO, five-star system.

Greenberg

Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans and Greta Gerwig in Greenberg.

I was looking forward to this quirky indie starring Ben Stiller as a 40-ish single man returning to California coming off of a stint in rehab/mental institution.  While that aspect of it is not explored, the film finds Ben’s Greenberg struggling to connect with those around him, including former close friend and ex-bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and a potential love interest in Greta Gerwig’s Florence.  Greenberg floats unevenly through various situations from bizarre sexual mishaps to drug induced partying to quiet restaurant moments that turn ugly.  Director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) lets the action unfold naturally, but the pacing is almost too slow with the events too disconnected at times to be engrossing.  Greenberg is a movie worth watching for indie fans, but a pass for people who think they are getting the Meet the Parents type of Stiller. His performance is far more nuanced and reserved here.  3 out of 5

Cloverfield

The Godzilla-esque Cloverfield made waves at the box office, opening big and getting some of the stars steady work in films after its release.  The movie is set in New York and while it can be a bit lazy with its entirely hand-held camera (yes, I said the ENTIRE movie is hand-held(!)).  It kept my interest, which is more than I thought it might.  I thought some of director Matt Reeves visuals were pretty imprressive (the characters crossing between two high-rise building touching hundreds of feet above ground was particularly cool).  The acting is fair; tolerable given that nobody has ever been in a situation quite like the fantastical one presented.  This is not a repeat viewer, but I thought it was serviceable.  Another 3 out of 5.

Surrogates

Bruce Willis’ career has to be on a steady decline.  Surrogates‘ sci-fi, futuristic premise where we live in a world where our clones interact and humans never leave the house is an interesting one.  But the CGI is pretty lame, the story lacks substance and in the end, it was a forgettable experience.  This felt like a B-level movie with a (former(?)) A-list star in it.  The ending is semi-predictable and there is not enough there to warrant much else.  I am surprised that the teaming of Willis and Ving Rhames (two Pulp Fiction stars) have fallen off as bad as to end up in this.  Disappointing. 2 out of 5.

Cop Out

Bruce Willis sleepwalks his way through the horrible Cop Out.

Did I just say I was disappointed in Bruce?  Oh my.  Kevin Smith’s wholly generic Cop Out with Willis and Tracy Morgan playing partners who end up on the outside of their jobs trying to solve a case that involves murder, drugs, a baseball card, a potentially cheating wife, corrupt cops and a bunch more.  This film attempts to have laughs, yet instead repeats generic one-liners like Morgan’s “I love you like a fat kid loves cake.”  Are you f*cking serious?!?  This film is an outright travesty. The “stars” are completely mismatched.  The acting is horrible and Bruce looks entirely disinterested.

I suspect that Smith (Zack & Miri Make A Porno) will pass it off that it was supposed to be this way.  I call that BS.  You wasted your time, the stars time, the audiences time and the studio’s money.  Smith is bordering on a thin-line that should find him on the outside of Hollywood for good if his next film doesn’t succeed.  Its too bad, because I like the man, but he really shows little talent for directing (a basic point and shoot-style), a marginal talent for writing (but at least he is a unique voice to be sure), and I’m just entirely disappointed in the man that once made the respected Clerks. That was so long ago.  1 out of 5 stars.

Green Zone

This was a somewhat surprising revelation.  I found the film to be totally acceptable and am in many ways sorry that it did so poorly at the box office.  I understand why, but I feel sorry for the film, as it is quality through and through.  Director Paul Greengrass leads Matt Damon’s Roy Miller into Iraq on a (likely fantastical) story of a man and country of troops searching for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction).  While Miller and his Marine brethren continually invade and investigate supposed locales for WMD, he begins to question the intel which leads to government conspiracies and cover-ups which will potentially be largely eye-opening for any American (and even Iraqis).  This is a sad tale but tautly and smartly told with little wasted effort.  It is not a Jason Bourne clone which it seemingly was marketed to be.  It is a thrilling film about politics and war, that should have more Americans (and viewers in general), questioning the validity of the way their government conducts their democracy.  4 out of 5 stars.

W.

Oliver Stone’s biopic of George W. Bush was a perfect film to follow seeing Green Zone, though unintended.  I felt Stone presented a fair and compelling look into Bush and his presidency, with the looming presence of George Sr. a constant driving force for his son.  I didn’t expect to be as interested in this as I was.  There were strong acting performances in several roles, most notably Thandie Newton’s Condi Rice imitation and of course, Josh Brolin’s brilliant W.  Highly surprised he didn’t get more props for his acting here.  Scott Glenn’s incredibly moronic Rumsfeld, Richard Dreyfuss’ Dick Cheney and the always strong Jeffrey Wright (does he ever misstep?) as Colin Powell also rated well.  This was an interesting film, well shot, and a nice look (potentially) into areas of his personality and presidency that the laymen would never know.  Good stuff. 3 out of 5 stars.

Remains of the Day

A rare light moment for Stevens in Remains of the Day.

After seeing Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, I decided to look up the author and discovered that his most revered novel Remains of the Day was made into a movie which garnered 8 Oscar nominations in 1994 (for the ’93 film).  Hence, I watched the film, which stars Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson as servants to a rich man with Nazi ties.  While Hopkins’ Stevens is loyal to a fault, his inner struggle was difficult for me to fully see on film.  I wanted it to be harder for him to maintain his staunch demeanor than it was seemingly revealed. Still, I can’t deny it was fine acting.

If he is belittled, he takes it every time, just going about his work and never encroaching with his opinion.  Whether losing his father or living his life without a chance at love, Stevens stayed strong.  Still, this was an interesting depiction of a man who seemed to have misplaced his loyalty and hurt the possibility for a greater life as a result.  That is something that many of us can relate to.  This was an interesting film, but it never really took off for me and I didn’t see a payoff I was expecting.  3 out of 5 stars (though I’d give it 2.5 if I could – it deserves the rounding up).

Cameron Crowe‘s upcoming directorial gig for Fox is looking to secure a big name star for his pet project, Matt Damon.  I use pet project jokingly, as the movie is titled We Bought A Zoo, based on the book of the same name.  From Variety:

Based on Benjamin Mee’s memoir, “We Bought a Zoo” tells the story of a widowed father who buys a dilapidated zoo in the hopes of making a fresh start.  He and his children, along with a tiny, eclectic staff, work to undo years of neglect and create a sanctuary for breeding and raising endangered species, culminating with the zoo’s opening.

It would be the first pairing for the Jerry Maguire director and Bourne Identity star.  Deal has not been put in place for Damon, but Crowe was pursued heavily by Fox and they got their man, so its quite feasible that they could secure Damon as well.  The movie is slated for a December 23, 2011 release date.  Right around the corner, really.

Audiences will get to see Damon in three films later this year, including The Adjustment Bureau and two other big name director projects with Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter and the Coen Brothers True Grit.  Damon saw weak results earlier in the year with Green Zone and last December’s Invictus also failed to score big at turnstiles, so this is a critical stretch for the man in his career, with talk of him not being a part of the next Bourne installment.  I’m hoping it pans out for him, since I like watching him act.

We Bought A Zoo itself sounds a little vague at this point, but the presumption is a tender hearted film with some comedy mixed in along with most of Crowe’s past films.  With both names on board, you can consider me heavily interested.  What do you think, good possibilities with this or not?  Let me know.

Variety’s Michael Fleming is reporting on his blog that Matt Damon and John Brolin are in negotiations to join the Coens’ re-imagining of the 1969 Western, True Grit. Jeff Bridges originally joined the cast to play the lead role of Marshall Rooster Cogburn, who was originally portrayed by John Wayne 40 years ago.

Now, Matt Damon appears set to play the lawman (originally portrayed by Glen Campbell) who joins with Cogburn and a 14-year old girl to track down her father’s killer. Josh Brolin, meanwhile, would play the killer, Tom Chaney. Of course, Brolin collaborating with the Coen brothers again would reunite the actor and director duo for the first time since the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men in 2007 in which Brolin was shamefully dismissed from the Best Actor discussion.

Damon, who is expected to have a big year this year with performances in both Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! and Clint Eastwood’s Invictus, just finished shooting The Adjustment Bureau opposite Emily Blunt and will collaborate with Eastwood again on the supernatural thriller Hereafter.

The Coens’ True Grit script is reportedly more true to the original Charles Portis novel than the 1969 film version and will apparently tell the story from the 14-year old girl’s perspective rather than that of Marshall Cogburn (Bridges). As a fan of the Coen’s output recent output, especially the currently expanding misanthropic fable A Serious Man, the thought of a period western in the vein of John Ford or Budd Boetticher has me pumped.

Paramount Pictures is set to put the film into production next March for a late 2010 release. If on schedule, True Grit will continue the trend of a Coen film every fall for the last four years.

In our continued effort to bring you the unique insight of our team members views on film, we present to you a list of 20 possible Oscar contending films for the upcoming 82nd Annual Academy Awards held in 2010.  This list is not entirely comprehensive to be sure, as it excludes films already released like The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds, but it gives some hints at intriguing possibilities for awards contenders that will soon be released into theaters.  We primarily focus on the main awards categories of Picture and Director as well as the chief acting slots.  Let us know what contenders from the list you think are strong possibilities.  We would love to debate them with you. Note: The entire Film Nest Crew contributed to this post.  Enjoy.

Amelia

Amelia is a biopic about the aviation legend Amelia Earhart, who tragically disappeared on an attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world. The film was directed by Mira Nair and stars two time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, as Earhart. As far as the films Oscar chances, a Best Actress nod for Swank seems a strong possibility given her track record. Since the list for Best Picture is now 10 films, Amelia also has a good chance to be on the list, as the Academy loves inspirational biopics. The Academy loves it even more when the lead dies at the end (Swank’s used to this as well, both of her previous wins came from playing ill-fated characters).

An Education

Ever since its debut at Sundance earlier this year, Lone Scherfig’s An Education has been primed to make an awards-season run, especially for its young star, actress Carey Mulligan. The film charts the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl (Jenny) growing up in suburban London in the 1960’s, specifically after she meets a rich playboy (Peter Sarsgaard) nearly twice her age. Since January, An Education has been sweeping the festival landscape like a good-natured plague, leaving a bounty of admirers in its wake. Carey Mulligan is already being described as a Best Actress lock, with supporting characters like Alfred Molina and Emma Thompson always giving persuasive testimonials for their admission into awards talk. The Danish helmer, Lone Scherfig has a definitive shot to enhance the female directorial presence at the ceremony in March, hopefully joining Kathryn Bigelow amongst the honored. Without question, this is a major horse in the Oscar race.

Avatar

It’s been 12 years now since James Cameron released a feature-length film, which we won’t soon forget, as 1997′s Titanic won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Avatar has been in some stage of development since then, but will only now see the light of day as Cameron has been biding his time for special effects to catch up with his vision. The story takes place in the 22^nd century on the planet Pandora, pitting humans and Pandora natives, the Na’vi, against one another as the backdrop to a forbidden love. Given Cameron’s prior outing and the every-once-in-a-while dazzling of Academy members by special effects (Titanic, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), the film has elements that can take it into more Award-worthy categories than just Special Effects.

The Blind Side

The true story of Michael Oher, now in the NFL, is one tailor-made to tug at the heartstrings. Oher was a homeless, uneducated African-American child taken in by a white family who helped him achieve mammoth success. Sandra Bullock plays the matriarch of the white family, removing herself from her rom-com comfort zone and placing her in a role she appeared to start in 2005’s Best Picture, Crash. This could be Bullock’s calling card for the future, but the story is so powerful even the trailer invokes emotion. The Blind Side is a dark horse Best Picture candidate with the field now at ten, while Bullock has a chance to deliver a performance worthy of a Best Actress.

Broken Embraces

Broken Embraces is a Spanish-language film that tells the story of a blind screenwriter, Harry Caine, who gets a visit from someone in his past. This visit in turn brings to the surface several things from his past which he hoped would remain hidden. The film was directed by past directing nominee Pedro Almodovar (Talk To Her), who also directed Volver. The film stars Penelope Cruz, José Luis Gómez García, Blanca Portillo and Lluís Homar. I’m not up on my Spanish language stars so I only really know Cruz’s work, but her last collaboration with Almodovar won her a supporting actress nod (Volver). Embraces certainly has the credentials to get a Best Foreign Language Film nod and Cruz, coming off her win for Vicky Christina Barcelona, can’t be counted out either.

Brothers

With the oft-delayed Brothers, director Jim Sheridan attempts to get back to his small-scale humanist roots (My Left Foot, The Boxer) with a remake of Susanne Biers’ 2004 Danish-language film of the same name. The film centers on Tommy (Jake Gylenhaal) and his relationship with the newly widowed Grace (Natalie Portman) and her child after Sam (Tobey Maguire) — her husband and Tommy’s older brother — goes missing in Afghanistan. When Sam turns up back at home, he finds that Tommy and Grace’s relationship may have evolved past petty condolences. This is very touchy material – treading through a soldiers’ societal re-entry, post-traumatic stress, love triangles, family tragedy, friendship, forgiveness, etc. I mean, Pearl Harbor basically used this same scenario as its narrative backbone. However, with the pedigree of the cast and the crew and the early December release date, Brothers has significant awards potential for Lionsgate. Even if the film is received coldly, look for possible acting nominations for the three leads.

Capitalism: A Love Story

Even in a downtrodden economy, Michael Moore’s name evokes box office gold, especially when compared to his documentarian compatriots. In Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore brings his typical combative, but highly entertaining non-fiction style, to the tale of how the economy found itself in the toilet. Two of the last three theatrically released features Moore has made have been nominated for Best Documentary (Bowling for Columbine, Sicko), with the one in between (Fahrenheit 9/11) probably being too politically divisive to do so, despite its craftsmanship. He took home the Oscar for Bowling for Columbine in 2002 and there’s no reason not to expect the man to duplicate his efforts this time out.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Adapting Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, Wes Anderson makes his first venture into animation (stop-motion) and it will feature an all-star Oscar cast of George Clooney, Meryl Steep and Bill Murray (at least nominated) providing the voices. Clooney plays Mr. Fox, a fox who must wage battle against chicken farmers who want to rid him and his family from stealing their stock. Wes Anderson, who was nominated for best screenplay for the Royal Tenenbaums (2001), will bring his unique direction to the animated genre and it certainly looks like he will visually bring the book to life. This has the potential for a Best Animated Feature nomination.

The Informant!

Both Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich) and Matt Damon (acting nom only for Good Will Hunting but screenplay winner there) are recipients of Oscars in the past, which leads The Informant! to being a possible nominee/winner in both the directing and acting categories for 2009. While I thought the picture left something to be desired, early reviews elsewhere have been strong, and nothing can take away from Damon’s embodied performance in the role of ADM whistle-blower Mark Whitacre, based on a true story (yet another film type that the Academy finds attractive). Damon packed on the pounds to play Whitacre (the notorious health fanatic reveled in chasing McDonald’s with cookies and the like), which evokes another Oscar nominated performance on a very similar topic when Russell Crowe added the lbs. for his whistle-blower in 1999’s The Insider. The much lighter tone of Informant will be critical to seeing how it is received. Such whimsy can often be downplayed as comedy (while it is a dark comedy) and therefore overlooked by the Academy voters as a non-serious piece of work, not worthy of a golden statue. Still, if I had to put money on it, I think Damon is next to a shoo-in for a nomination, even if I felt the picture missed its mark.

Invictus

Invictus is the story of how South African President Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of the country’s rugby team to help unite the divided nation. Invictus is from director Clint Eastwood and stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela with Matt Damon as the rugby captain. This film is sure to get nods in all the major categories. It’s a fair bet to suggest Freeman will get a Best Actor nomination, as might Damon in the supporting category. Best Picture is a no-brainer as the film’s subject and stars are Oscar favorites. This film could see Eastwood win his third directing statue (he also won for Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven). Some have suggested that he should have got one last year, along with a Best Actor Oscar for Gran Torino. He was robbed last year IMO. I hope the academy fixes their oversight and he gets what he deserves this year.

It’s Complicated

Meryl Streep, who is almost guaranteed to be nominated for Best Actress for her portrayal of Julia Child in Julie and Julia, will continue her amazing streak with It’s Complicated. Streep plays Jane, a divorced woman who begins to have an affair with her ex-husband, now remarried, Jake (Alec Baldwin), but must also deal with Adam, another man who has fallen in love with her. Streep, who has been nominated an amazing fifteen times (winning two), might have the potential of being up twice in one year. Directed and written by Nancy Myers (nominated in 1980 for Best Screenplay for Private Benjamin), It’s Complicated may get some kind of nomination considering anything that Streep is in turns to gold.

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is an adaptation of the novel by Alice Sebold. Bones is the story of Susie, a young girl who is raped and murdered by her neighbor. Susie then watches from “the in-between,” as her family tries to comfort each other after her death. While she watches her family, she also sees that her killer, who was never caught, is preparing to kill again. The Lovely Bones was directed by LOTR helmer, Peter Jackson (a previous feted director) and stars screen veterans Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Stanly Tucci. Susie is played by Saoirse Ronan, who received a best supporting actress Oscar nod for Atonement. Bones, with its very serious subject matter, looks fixed to be nominated for Best Picture.  While Ronan, as the films true lead, could see herself the recipient of a possible Best Actress nod for this too. How does Peter Jackson look in the directing category?  Firmly entrenched, we think.

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Common collaborators George Clooney and Grant Heslov have joined forces to write, direct and produce films like Good Night and Good Luck and Leatherheads, with Clooney at the helm of both. Now Heslov gets his turn directing with the mad, surrealist black comedy/satire, The Men Who Stare at Goats. The film is based on Jon Ronson’s non-fiction account of the U.S. military’s believe-it-or-not development and research of paranormal activities. The film was received rather warmly at the Venice Film Festival before heading to Toronto, so with past success as a barometer, and 10 slots now available for a certain Academy category, its not unheard of to see something like this sneaking in to the Oscar Best Picture race – it’s basically being described as Dr. Strangelove meets the Coen Brothers. However, it looks to be a tough battle in the big picture with another Clooney vehicle, Up in the Air, a more prestigious, sure-headed and almost certainly finer choice – at least in the view of many to this point – coming out in November. If nothing else, look for this to help Clooney gain recognition for his more buzz-worthy performance of 2009.

Nine

Rob Marshall returns to the screen in an attempt to match both the financial and Oscar-season success of Chicago, the 2004 Best Picture winner. Nine is the musical retelling of Federico Fellini’s 8 ½, as originally depicted on Broadway starting in 1982. Of course, Fellini’s original masterwork was about a fictional character named Guido Contini (an alter ego for Fellini himself), a director going through a major mid-life crisis both in his creative and personal life, he must balance the many women who love, torment, and grieve him deeply. Certainly Nine must be taken seriously as an Oscar contender unless proven otherwise given the sheer talent on display. The cast includes – here we go, deep breath – Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench and Ms. Black-Eyed Pea, Stacy Ferguson. With that firepower, Nine could crash the party big-time. Only a mixed response from audiences and critics will stand in its way.

Precious

Originally titled, Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, the film – produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey – won three awards at Sundance earlier this year. Two of the awards were for the film itself, winning the Audience and Grand Jury awards, while Mo’Nique took home an award for acting. Precious is a young African-American girl who has endured abuse from her mother and rape from her father, going unloved as overweight, illiterate, poor and pregnant until she enrolls in an alternative school. Director Lee Daniels’ second film has earned him plenty of acclaim and Mo’Nique’s abusive mother could garner some Oscar attention. If Oprah can supposedly help win a presidential election, she’s sure to be able to influence Oscar voters as well.

The Road

The Road is John Hillcoat’s adaptation of the acclaimed best selling novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy.  Set in a post-apocalytpic world, about a father and his son’s attempt to survive in the desolate landscape, early reviews have been mixed but the footage we’ve seen here at “the nest” has been nothing short of exemplary.  Acting powerhouses Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron lend major credibility to the work, as both have been nominated for Oscars in the past, with Theron victorious on one occasion.  Directing, acting, and picture nods are all realistic possibilities at this stage, and we can’t help but be eager to see what is presented with the challenging, dark material presented on the big screen.  “The Road” may not be one we want to travel in real-life, but if past years are any indication, the subject matter should not be something Oscar finds too difficult to navigate.

A Serious Man

Directed by the Coen brothers, A Serious Man follows a middle-class Jewish man trying to keep his life from falling apart and achieving his aspirations of becoming the perfect family man in 1960s Minnesota.  Despite not having a well-known cast, the Coen brothers name alone will help make this an Oscar contender. The trailer is fantastic and the Coens are still riding high from their Best Picture winner, No Country for Old Men in 2007.  Also look out for Michael Stuhlbarg for possible Oscar buzz since he looks really good in this. The Coens have been on a hot streak since No Country for Old Men and this has the potential of continuing the trend.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes might seem a dark horse to be on this list. The classic sleuth is getting a serious makeover this time around, with Guy Ritchie, never close to winning anything golden, behind the camera. But alas, Robert Downey Jr. is the titular Holmes, Jude Law is his compadre Watson, and both are twice nominated for Oscars past. Throw in a generally well received Rachel McAdams (State of Play), a fair amount of hype, a Christmas release date, and the expansion of the Best Picture category, and you might have the makings of an outsider like this finding it’s way into the fray. Of course, beloved actors like Law and RDJ are always strong hopefuls for their roles as well, with RDJ still an outsider for his moving performance in this year’s overlooked The Soloist. The action might turn off older Academy blue hairs, but we’re thinking the expansion means the Academy could think just enough outside of it’s traditional box to make room for a new spin on a classic. Maybe the third time could be a charm for either of the lead actors as well. Just a hunch, but it might be elementary – my dear Watson.

Up In The Air

George Clooney, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor with Syriana in 2005, plays Ryan Bingham, a corporate consultant who travels around the country firing people. Things soon change when he meets the woman of his dreams, which drastically changes the way his life is lived. Directed by Jason Reitman, who earned a nomination for directing Juno in 2007, Up in the Air looks like it will showcase Clooney at his best, judging from the trailer. He was fantastic in Michael Clayton and had it not been for Daniel Day-Lewis’ insane performance in There Will Be Blood, Clooney would have easily taken home his second Oscar.

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are is the adaptation of the beloved children’s book by Maurice Sendak, where Max, a boy sent to his room for being disobedient, creates a world where he becomes king of the “Wild Things.” A simple enough premise, but the film has possible Oscar aspirations as the field has been expanded to 10 films for Best Picture and there is a strong chance that director Spike Jonze could receive a nomination in that category as well. Early footage has revealed that Spike has created wonderfully imagined environments that are not only Sendak approved, but seem to perfectly capture and expand on Max’s “wild” imagination. Voice work by James Gandolfini and acting by Catherine Keener (twice nominated) certainly won’t hurt its chances at receiving Academy exposure. It has been one of our most anticipated all year and in weeks we will be able to determine if it lives up to the lofty expectations. For the record, it also appears to look strong in the music and effects categories at this point too.

George Clooney has only three feature directorial credits to his name and his second film (Good Night and Good Luck) was the only one with any sort of political persuasion in it, but he’s about to return to the well for feature number four, Hamdan v Rumsfeld. According to Female First, he’s bringing along friend Matt Damon to star.

The film will chart the plight of the Osama bin Laden’s chauffer, who was captured in Afghanistan and shipped to the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. Damon is slated to play the chauffer’s lawyer, Charles Swift, who takes his client and their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It’ll be a courtroom drama and the script will be written by the master of political courtroom drama, Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men).

I wasn’t a big fan of Clooney’s last directorial output (Leatherheads), but few were. I still think he has a good eye about him and a collaboration with Damon and Sorkin could make this a powerful piece. Who knows when this will get off the ground, but I’d imagine the sooner the better. We were finally granted our first great Iraq war film this year (The Hurt Locker), so it’s about time we get our first great courtroom drama out of this mess, too. Do you think this could be it?

Story was written by The Film Nest writer Chase Kahn.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon are teaming up again for Hereafter, a supernatural thriller written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon). Eastwood will direct the film with Damon in the starring role, this coming on the heels of the two collaborating on Invictus, the Warner Bros./Nelson Mandela biopic starring both Damon and Morgan Freeman, which is primed for a major awards-run later this year.

DreamWorks Pictures originally bought the rights to the Peter Morgan script, but after piquing the interest of Mr. Eastwood, and with a blessing from Steven Spielberg, the production is moving to Clint’s home turf of Warner Bros. with an executive producing credit for Mr. Spielberg. Shooting for the film is set to start next fall.

I have to say that I haven’t been a fan of Clint’s work since his stunning Letters From Iwo Jima, but Hereafter has pedigree behind it that can’t be ignored, and if Invictus is a truly great film, I’ll be the first one to admit it. It doesn’t look like Clint is showing any signs of slowing down soon.

Anthony Mackie, star of the indie hit Hurt Locker, will be joining the cast of the upcoming film The Adjustment Bureau, opposite Matt Damon.  While Mackie’s role in “Locker” was not as pronounced as that of Jeremy Renner, who is being rumored for a Mad Max reboot, he is being recognized for his work in a different manner, with new roles.  Mackie’s role is unknown at this point for the Philip K. Dick adaptation, but he joins Damon and Emily “Smoke A” Blunt (Sunshine Cleaning) in “Bureau.”

“Bureau” is focused on Damon whose Congressman seems destined for political stardom but he falls for a ballet dancer and fate or forces, seem like they are being kept apart intentionally.  Interesting.  While unintentional, if you want to see Mackie in a comedic performance you can watch him inhabit the late Tupac in Notorious.  Up against the odds, his appearance as ‘Pac made me laugh uncontrollably, despite his best intentions.  We can only hope “Bureau” can be as good as other Dick adaptations such as Minority Report.  I am not sure if the addition of Mackie holds anything for me personally (I still have yet to see “Locker,” booty), but if it does so for you, please share.  On a different note, in case you missed it, the Hurt Locker team is going next with Triple Frontier. Source: Variety.

I wonder if master science-fiction writer Phillip K. Dick ever had to write narratives in grade school. Maybe just a page or two. I’m sure his mom kept them in a cardboard box or something. I look forward to writing about when those stories are optioned because you know it’s going to come to that eventually. Every story the guy published has seemingly been made into a film already. Today brings news of another one.

Dick’s short story “Adjustment Team” is being adapted by writer/director George Nolfi into a film titled Adjustment Bureau (a little more professional and less superhero-y). Matt Damon is slated to star and the announcement today is that his co-star will be Emily Blunt (Sunshine Cleaning, not Iron Man 2).

The story revolves around: “a smooth-talking congressman whose political future is thrown in doubt by a series of uncontrollable events and the arrival in his life of a mysterious ballerina.”

There is of course a science-fiction element to it, consisting of a Matrix-life alternate reality.

I don’t have any real feelings pro or con toward this at the moment, but if a Phillip K. Dick fan wants to tell me I should look forward to it, I’ll listen.